TNT (DR) / NBA (DR)

Although almost everyone expected it, the draft of Bronny James to the Lakers still had the effect of a bomb. But while the rookie will soon make his debut on the NBA courts, Shaquille O’Neal shared his thoughts on him.

Even in high school, the cameras of journalists and the eyes of scouts were fixed on him.

An attention that continued during his first and only year in the NCAA, playing for the USC Trojans.

And yet, Bronny James has never seemed to be the subject of such media coverage as since his draft by the Lakers.

A true fairy tale that nevertheless leads to heavy criticism.

Indeed, while some observers are delighted at the idea of ​​seeing him team up with his father, LeBron, others are accusing him of having benefited from nepotism. 

The kind of speech that notably made Adrian Wojnarowski jump , but not only.

Indeed, in the latest episode of his Big Podcast , Shaquille O’Neal also protested against the merciless treatment suffered by the young guard.

Shaquille O’Neal’s Big Advice for Bronny James

Shaquille O’Neal: I wish people would focus less on Bronny James, my nephew. He’s just a kid. A great kid. All he wants to do is play.

While he laments the fact that Bronny is so scrutinized, O’Neal also laments the pressure that “sons of” have to deal with. He uses his own boys as an example:

Shaquille O’Neal: It’s unfortunate that kids like ours have to live up to the same expectations that were put on us. I always tell my kids that pressure is when you don’t know when your next meal is going to be. You don’t have to be like me. I want you to be better than me. I don’t mean the athletic side, I mean the human side. Everything else doesn’t matter. (…)

All that to say, I hope Bronny succeeds, and I hope he does it on his own. If there’s anything bad that could be done, it would be for people to say that you only became successful because of your father. At his age, you want to succeed on your own, and that’s what he’s going to do.

Not really tender towards the younger generation in normal times, Shaq therefore gives his full support to the man he considers his nephew.

While Diesel’s words may comfort Bronny at this major stage of his career and life, there is little chance that this will prevent him from being scrutinized for his every move. That said, pressure has always been a part of his daily life. There is no doubt that he will be able to ignore it and give his all on the field under the Lakers’ colors.

Shaquille O’Neal may seem grumpy at times, but he’s still a basketball legend with a wealth of wisdom. So he wanted to share his advice to Bronny James amid his somewhat rocky start to his career in the league.